Ahead of you rises the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. This is the rare book library and literary archive of Yale University Library in New Haven, and one of the largest buildings in the world dedicated to rare books and manuscripts, housing one of the largest collections of such texts. It was established by a gift of the Beinecke family and given its own financial endowment, so it is financially independent from the university and co-governed by Yale University Library and Yale Corporation.
Situated on Yale University's Hewitt Quadrangle, the building was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 1963. You may also remember that from 2015 to 2016 the library was closed for 18 months for major renovations that replaced the HVAC system and expanded teaching and exhibition capabilities. Architecturally, the Beinecke is International Style: a six‑story above‑ground glass‑enclosed tower of book stacks, encased by a windowless façade and supported by four monolithic piers at the corners.
The exterior shell rides on a steel frame with pylons embedded 50 feet (15 m) to bedrock at each corner. Notice the four monolithic piers anchoring this windowless glass tower, their pylons driven fifty feet down to bedrock at each corner.